Christmas tree ornament



Nov. 28, 1961 KINGHORN 3,011,049

CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT Filed Aug. 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 3S A/E/veY 6. km/eu'oe/v A r TOIQ/YE' Ks- NOV. 28, 1961 KINGHQRN 3,011,049

CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT Filed Aug. 14, 1959 2 sheets-sheet 2 I so 9 7 25 R F\ -9 3 n \3' 2 I I as INVENTOR.

ue/vlev a. ,w/va/ /ae/v Unite E States atent O I 3,011,049 CSTMAS TREE GRNAMENT Henry G. Kinghorn, 1977 Broadway, New York, N.Y.

Filed Aug. 14, 1959, Ser. No. 833,722 a 1 Claim. (Cl. 24010) This invention relates to Christmas tree ornaments, and more particularly to an illuminated ornamental globe device adapted to be suspended from a portion of a Christmas tree.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved illuminated Christmas tree ornament which is simple in construction, which involves relatively few parts, and which is adapted to be easily assembled and to be electrically connected to a suitable power supply source.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved illuminated Christmas tree ornament which involves inexpensive parts, which is attractive in appearance, and which is adapted to be easily connected in a standard wiring arrangement so as to be energized from a suitable supply of current whereby to provide a novel and interesting ornamental eiTect when suspended from a Christmas tree.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompany-ing drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view, partly in vertical cross section, of an improved illuminated Christmas tree ornament assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal cross sectional detail view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal cross sectional detail view taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the supporting elements employed in the assembly of FIGURE 1, the elements being shown in separated positions.

FIGURE 6 is an elevational view, partly in cross section, similar to FIGURE 1, but showing a modification of a Christmas tree ornament according to the present invention.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the supporting ele ments of the ornament shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, the elements being illustrated in separated positions.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURES 1 to 5, 11 generally designates an illuminated Christmas tree ornament assembly according to the present invention. The assembly 11 comprises an annular main supporting member 12 of insulating material, such as plastic or the like, the member 12 including a depending vertical annular skirt portion 13. Said supporting member 12 is centrally formed with the upstanding boss 14 which is formed with a vertical aperture 15 and with a horizontal bore 16 communicating with said aperture. Designated at 17 is a hook member formed with the horizontal bottom rod portion 18 which is engageable through the bore 16, the rod portion 18 being formed at its outer end with an upstanding stop lug 19. The bore 16 is somewhat larger in diameter than the rod element 18, and the rod element 18 is sufficiently resilient so that the rod element may be engaged through the bore 16 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2, after which the end of the rod element 18 may be bent upwardly to form the stop lug 19, whereby the hook member 17 is fastened to the support 12 so that the support may be suspended 3,011,049 Patented Nov. 28, 1951 ice from a branch or any other suitable portion of a Christmas tree.

Designated at 20 is ave-rtical sleeve member of insulat-ing material which is formed with external threads 21 at its top portion, said top portion being threadedly engageable in internal threads 22 provided in the main horizontal wall of the support member :12, whereby the sleeve 20 may be detachably secured to the support member 12 in a depending position located substantially axially with relation to the support member 12.

Designated at 23 is a colored transparent globe of any suitable material, such as colored glass or tinted transparent plastic material, the globe 23 being formed with the upstanding vertical top neck portion 24 which is telescopically engageable in the skirt portion 13 of the support member 12, as is clearly shown in FIGURES l and 2. The sleeve member 20 is formed with respective pairs of outwardly projecting hook-like lugs 25, 25 located at its upper and lower portions and projecting from opposite sides of the sleeve member. Designated at 26 is a spring member comprising a horizontal semicircular top portion 27 which engages the periphery of the sleeve 20* and which is formed with depending vertical locking portions 28, 28 which lockingly engage in the upper pair of hook-like lugs 25, 25. The spring member 27 is formed below the vertical locking portions 25 with inwardly offset right-angled bends 30, and is further formed below said bends with the respective downwardly and outwardly extending resilient arms 31, 31 which are supportingly engageable with respective diametrically opposite internal surface portions of the globe 23 outwardly adjacent the vertical neck portion 24, as is clearly shown in FIGURE 1.

As will be readily apparent from FIGURE 1, the

' spring arms 31, 31 are sufiiciently yieldable so that the globe may be at times detached from the remainder of the assembly by pulling the same downwardly with respect to the support 12. Conversely, the globe may be fastened to the assembly by manually holding the arms 31, 31 sufliciently close together at their lower end portions so that said arms :may be engaged in the neck portion 24 to allow the neck portion to be slipped into the skirt member 13.

The sleeve member 20 is formed with internal threads 33 at its lower end portion adapted to threadedly receive the threaded base 34 of a lamp bulb 35. The sleeve 29 is formed with diametrically opposed vertical slots 36 and 37 in which are engaged respective conductor bars 38 and 39, the lower end portion of the sleeve being formed intern-ally with respective grooves 40 and 41 registering with the slots 36 and 37. The conductor bar 38 is formed at its top end with the horizontal stop portion 40 forming one terminal of the lamp socket assembly provided in the sleeve 20, and the conductor bar 39 is formed at its top end with the horizontal inwardly extending stop portion 141 which forms the remaining terminal of the lamp socket assembly. At its lower end the conductor bar 38 is provided with the resilient cont-act portion 42 which is positioned in the groove 40, the bar being further formed with the generally V-shaped inwardly projecting retaining portion 43 which limits endw-ise movement of the conductor bar 38 in the slot 36. As shown in FIGURE 2, the resilient contact portion 42 is engageable with the shell of the lamp base 34 to establish electrical contact therewith.

The conductor bar 39 is formed at its lower end portion With the inwardly extending horizontal contact portion 45 which is engageable by the center contact of lamp base 34 to establish electrical contact therewith.

A pair of flexible insulated conductor wires 46 and 47 are electrically connected respectively to the terminals 40 and /41, the wires 46 and 47 extending through the top aperture in the member 12 and being adapted to be connected in a suitable energizing circuit for providing current to the lamp bulb 35.

The lower pair of locking lugs 25, 25 may be employed with globes which have relatively long top neck portions, the spring member 26 being engaged around the lower portion of the sleeve with the locking arms 28, 28 lockingly engaged with the lower pair of locking lugs 25 substantially in the same manner as illustrated in the embodiment of the assembly of FIGURES 1 and 2.

Referring now to the form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 6 to 9, the assembly shown therein is designated generally at 11' and comprises an annular main support member 12 having the depending skirt portion 13' in which the upstanding vertical neck 24 of a globe 23 is receivable. The sleeve member is provided with the diametrically opposed upper and lower pairs of locking lugs 25, similar to those provided on the sleeve member 20 in the previously described form of the invention. A spring member 26 is employed to support the globe 23 in the same manner as in the form of the invention previously described.

As above mentioned, two pairs of locking lugs 25, 25 are provided on the sleeve member, one purpose of this arrangement being to allow globes 23 with relatively long necks to be supported from the support member. How ever, another purpose of the lowermost pair of locking lugs is to at times hold the spring arms 31, 31 in positions adjacent the sides of the sleeve member, for ex- .ample, prior to assembling the ornament, for example, to

mount the lamp bulb in the lower end of the sleeve member.

A metal inner sleeve 21' is frictionally secured in the insulating outer sleeve 20, the metal inner sleeve 21' being formed with a threaded lower end portion 22' in which the threaded base 34 of a lamp 35 is threadedly engageable and in a manner whereby the shell of the base 34 is in electrical contact with the innersleeve 21. The inner sleeve 21' is formed with a reduced top end portion 23' which extends through a central aperture 24 formed in the horizontal main wall ofthe insulating support 12'. A canopy member 25 of insulating material is provided, said canopy member having secured therein a metal contact shell 26' which is threaded and which threadedly engages the top end portion of member 23', said top end portion being formed withcorresponding threads interfitting with the threads of the'cont-act member 26', as is clearly shown at 27' in FIGURE 7. The contact shell 26' is provided with the upstanding terminal lug 28 to which is electrically connected one insulated conductor 29. Another insulated conductor 30' is electrically connected to a contact member 31' secured in the canopy element 25' and extending horizontally and inwardly, as shown in FIGURE 7. The insulated conductors 29' and 30' extend through a suitable aperture 32 provided in the top end of the canopy member 25'.

Designated at 35 is a vertical, generally cylindrical spacer member of insulating material which extends axially through the inner sleeve 21 and which is snugly received in the top portion thereof, the member 35' being formed with the conical top end 36 which projects through a central aperture formed in the annular top wall 37' of the member 27'. A plurality of locking lugs 38' are struck inwardly in the lower portion of the inner shell 21' and lockingly engage the extension mem- The extension member 35 is provided with a central vertical conductor 39' which is provided at its top end with a contact member 40 conductively engaging the contact member 31'. At its lower end the conductor 39 is provided with a contact element 42 which is conductively engageable by the center contact of the lamp base 34, as shown in FIGURE 7, whereby to electrically connect the lamp 35 to the supply conductors 29 and 30. Thus, the shell 34 of the lamp bulb is connected through the sleeve 21' and the contact shell 26' to the conductor 29', and the center contact of the lamp base 34 is electrically connected through the conductor 39' and the conductive contact element 31 to the insulated supply conductor 30.

As will be readily apparent, the support member 12' is clampingly secured between the canopy element 25 and the top end of the insulating outer sleeve 20 so as to provide a substantially rigid assembly. The sleeve 20 is of substantial length, as in the case of the sleeve 20 of the previously described embodiment of the invention, whereby to support the bulb 35 substantially in the center of the colored globe 23, and whereby to provide an elficient and uniform illumination of the globe.

The assemblies of FIGURES 6 to 9 may be suspended from any suitable portion of a Christmas tree by means of the conductors 29' and 30', which may be connected in a conventional series circuit, or in any other desirable circuit, well known to those skilled in the art.

While certain specific embodiments of an improved illuminated Christmas tree ornament have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is: i

A Christmas tree ornament comprising an annular sup- 5 port of insulating material, means to suspend said sup- 7 port from a portion of a Christmas tree, a depending 40 opposite sides of said sleeve wholly inside said enclosure,

illustrated in FIGURE 7.

a spring Wire member mounted on said sleeve wholly inside said enclosure and having a horizontal semi-circular top portion engaging the periphery of said sleeve above said lugs and having respective vertical depending arms lockingly engaging said lugs and formed at their lower ends with offsets and with downwardly and outwardly extending resilient free end portions supportingly engaging said globe internally at locations outwardly adjacent said neck, a lamp socket mounted at the free end of said sleeve and having an internally threaded lower end portion, and a lamp bulb threadedly engaged in said socket and depending in said globe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,296,433 Schafer et a1 Mar. 4, 1919 1,338,194 Salzer Apr. 27, 1920 2,512,129 Appleby June 20, 1950 

